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Truss Method PDF
Truss Method PDF
Henri P. Gavin
Fall, 2014
Method
1. Number all of the nodes and all of the elements.
2. Identify the Displacement Degrees of Freedom in Global Directions.
Number all the structural degrees of freedom in your truss. In a 2D (planar) truss, each
node can have a maximum of two degrees of freedom: one in the global X-direction
and one in the global Y -direction. If a degree of freedom is restrained by a reaction,
then it doesn’t get a number.
3. Node Locations.
Write the (x, y) coordinates of each node using units consistent with E and A. In other
words, if E and A are given in kN/cm2 and cm2 , write the (x, y) coordinates in terms
of centimeters.
4. Define each element.
Draw each element of your truss individually and draw the local coordinates in the
global directions. For example if element number N is a diagonal truss element, and
the global directions are X: horizontal and Y: vertical, draw element number N like
this:
4
Bar Direction 3
2
(x , y )
2 2
1 Local Joint Number
2
θ
Element Coordinate 1
1 1
in Global Directions (x , y )
1 1
where 1,2,3,4 are the element coordinates of the truss element in the global directions.
The local coordinates are always numbered 1,2,3,4 with 1 and 3 pointing in the global
X direction (to the right) and with 2 and 4 pointing in the global Y direction (up).
Some or all of these four coordinates will line up with with the structural degrees of
freedom that you identified in step 2., above. The angle θ is the counter-clockwise angle
from element coordinate 1 to the truss element.
2 CEE 421L. Matrix Structural Analysis – Duke University – Fall 2014 – H.P. Gavin
c = (x2 − x1 )/L
s = (y2 − y1 )/L
c2 cs −c2 −cs
EA cs s2 −cs −s2
K=
.
−c2 −cs c2 cs
L
−cs −s2 cs s2
or by using the truss 2d element.m script in matlab. You should understand where
these equations come from, why this matrix is symmetric, why the diagonal terms are
all positive, and what the off-diagonal terms mean.
K(1,1) +> Ks(3,3) | K(1,2) +> Ks(3,4) | K(1,3) +> Ks(3,7) | K(1,4) +> Ks(3,8)
------------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------
K(2,1) +> Ks(4,3) | K(2,2) +> Ks(4,4) | K(2,3) +> Ks(4,7) | K(2,4) +> Ks(4,8)
------------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------
K(3,1) +> Ks(7,3) | K(3,2) +> Ks(7,4) | K(3,3) +> Ks(7,7) | K(3,4) +> Ks(7,8)
------------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------
K(4,1) +> Ks(8,3) | K(4,2) +> Ks(8,4) | K(4,3) +> Ks(8,7) | K(4,4) +> Ks(8,8)
where the +> is short-hand for “is added to” .... K(1,3) is added to Ks(3,7).
Add each element into the structural stiffness matrix in this way to get Ks . Note that if
one end of the truss element is fully restrained in both the the X- and Y - directions, you
will need to place only four of the sixteen terms of the element’s 4x4 stiffness matrix.
7. Forces, p.
Create the force vector p, by finding the components of each applied force in the
directions of the global degrees of freedom. Create the force vector by placing these
force components into the force vector at the proper coordinates.
8. Deflections, d.
Find the deflections by inverting the stiffness matrix and multiplying it by the load
vector. You can do this easily in matlab: d = Ks \ p
9. Internal bar forces, T .
Again, recall how the global degrees of freedom line up with each element’s coordinates
(1,2,3,4). For example, in element number N from step 6., the local element deflections
in the global directions, v1 , v2 , v3 , v4 line up with the structural deflections deflections
d3 , d4 , d7 , d8 . The internal bar forces can be computed from:
EA EA
T = [(v3 − v1 )c + (v4 − v2 )s] = [(d7 − d3 )c + (d8 − d4 )s]
L L
where c and s are the direction cosine and sine for the element from step 5.
You should be able to derive this equation.
Knowing what each bar force is, the reactions can be easily computed with equilibrium
equations.
Notation
Example
Y
4 6
E = 30,000 k/sq.in. 3 5
4 50 k
A = 10 sq.in. 3 5
6
12 ft.
3
1 8
5
2
1 2 4
2 7 X
1
100 k
16 ft. 16 ft.
Bar Direction
{d} : displacement vector
1 Structural Degree of Freedom = { d1 d2 d3 d4 d5 d6 }’
Applied Force {f} : load vector = { 0 −100 0 0 50 0 }’
1 Local Joint Number 4
2 3
1 Local Degree of Freedom
Global Coordinate System
1 2
θ
Element Coordinates in Global Directions
1
>> [ K4, L(4) ] = truss_2d_element( 12*16, 12*12, 12*32, 12*12, EA ) % truss element 4
K4 =
Ks =
3925.00 600.00 0.00 0.00 -800.00 -600.00
p =
0.00
-100.00
0.00
0.00
50.00
0.00
d =
0.0146067
-0.1046405
0.0027214
-0.0730729
0.0055080
-0.0164325